I was very productive with my studies this past weekend. Here, I will be presenting my insights to you all in the following text.

I believe the three main characters of LXV are:

1. The Heart/V.V.V.V.V./Magister2. The Serpent/Adonai3. The scribe/prophet

The first three chapters of LXV culminate into the Vision of No Difference, the sign indicative of the Ipissimus and the Kether-Point-of-View, displayed to the reader in the last lines of Ch. III.

This being firmly established, out of sheer lust for knowledge of one another, it is only appropriate that the Heart and the Serpent should exchange places, so that 5 V's might assimilate being the Serpent, and so Adonai might assimilate being the Heart (as if He had the need!).

LXV communicates the necessity of the God to the Adorer and equally, perhaps moreso, the Adorer to the God. Here's Liber AL I:27 -

With the God & the Adorer I am nothing: they do not see me. They are as upon the earth; I am Heaven, and there is no other God than me, and my lord Hadit.

Indeed, none should take heed that Nuit should become Naught in Their presence, for this is invariably the condition of All without the Two.

In the final Chapter, the scribe/prophet is sanctioned as Hoor and permitted into permanent communion with the Heart and the Serpent.

The God and the Adorer are the Twain Forces of the Magus, as the Four Wounds of LXV V:14 are his Four Weapons, which he uses to Unite the Two (see Liber B vel Magi).

Now, see this, from Magick in Theory and Practice:

Being determined to instruct mankind, He sought a simple statement of his object. His will was sufficiently informed by common sense to decide him to teach man "The Next Step", the thing which was immediately above him. He might have called this "God", or "The Higher Self", or "The Augoeides", or "Adi-Buddha", or 61 other things --- but He had discovered that these were all one, yet that each one represented some theory of the Universe which would ultimately be shattered by criticism --- for He had already passed through the realm of Reason, and knew that every statement contained an absurdity. He therefore said: "Let me declare this Work under this title: 'The obtaining of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel'", because the theory implied in these words is so patently absurd that only simpletons would waste much time in analysing it. It would be accepted as a convention, and no one would incur the grave danger of building a philosophical system upon it.

Contemplation of the above has lead me to the inference that the HGA is who one is while one is actively approximating what one might call "God," which I define as what is transcendent of all categories of thought, what is beyond any and all ontological capacity, no matter what.

In being imperceptible to all, a common foundation is established in which all things irrefragably partake of.

In such a definition, we can see lies as the means of Truth; that which escapes rational grasp may lack definition and thus we may suffer the inability to communicate what it is, however, we can still make reference as to its location.

Such is Silence. And the only direction we can possibly hope to derive from such an One is what we gleen from our very own insight into living in relation to IT, and it is precisely this which I believe constitutes one's K&C.

Whether or not consciousness is anything remarkable is still up for debate; we've nothing else of the sort to compare it to! However, division is undeniably among us, and I infer that it is this very property of consciousness that sets the stage for everything to either exist uniquely to is respective components (Lunar Consciousness) or to collapse into One undifferentiated unity (Solar Consciousness), being Naught.

Any thoughts or questions? I'm very interested to read what the members here have to say, as this marks a very important part of the (almost) 3 years I've spent with Crowley's work.

I suppose I have created with this thread an atmosphere that espouses my present convictions moreso than one condusive to discussion. That being said, I would like to reiterate that I am open to criticism.

The words above are essentially excerpts from 20 pages of notes on Liber ABA (hardcover from the 80s with great appendicies), Thoth, LXV, and Goetia that I took down over the span of three days, last weekend. This week, I have started the study of Liber Samekh, which I discovered to have curiously neglected.

Even if you don't feel quite ready for the ritual itself, I still highly recommend an intensive study of Liber Samekh to all of you; even should one ignore all but the commentary and footnotes, there is a wealth of information to be had that I wish I hadn't gone this long without.

Honestly, it has been a task to hold back from gushing about this to everyone! I will probably read this Liber 20 or 30 times and meditate/apply what I've learned before ever starting the ritual, and I certainly look forward to this almost as much as performing the ritual itself.

I suppose I have created with this thread an atmosphere that espouses my present convictions moreso than one condusive to discussion. That being said, I would like to reiterate that I am open to criticism.

I'd say what you've produced is an intellectual analysis of part of this text. But this book is intended to speak to the heart, to the unborn Adept, at least as much as to the brain. In the heart, over time, it produces a synthesis, not an analysis. I'd say, Relax and try NOT to think about it. Then you might find, to your delight, that something has changed beyond of the circle of your conscious awareness and intellectual powers.

Edward Mason wrote:I'd say what you've produced is an intellectual analysis of part of this text. But this book is intended to speak to the heart, to the unborn Adept, at least as much as to the brain. In the heart, over time, it produces a synthesis, not an analysis.

Yea, I can see the validity of the angle you've presented above; it brings to mind for me another quote from MTP:

The Magician who is destroyed by absorbtion in the Godhead is really destroyed. The miserable mortal automaton remains in the Circle. It is of no more consequence to Him than the dust on the floor.

It is becoming clear to me that as long as my experience is predicated upon "subject beholding object," there will always be work to do!

Zalthos wrote:It is becoming clear to me that as long as my experience is predicated upon "subject beholding object," there will always be work to do!

But that's very advanced work. One of the biggest mistakes aspirants make is in targetting the Abyss before they've attained adepthood. Even the Magus 9=2 embraces duality (it is the essence of the Magus' work). And long before even the Abyss is the Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Jim Eshelman wrote:One of the biggest aspirants make is in targetting the Abyss before they've attained adepthood. Even the Magus 9=2 embraces duality (it is the essence of the Magus' work). And long before even the Abyss is the Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Don't break your tools while you still need them.

I'm assuming you intended to type "mistakes" between "biggest" and "aspirants" (no offense).

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about taking things slow and not overstepping my bounds, as I gleefully intend for these endeavors to encompass the whole of my lifetime. Even in my Goetic meddlings, I've made sure that the demons I've selected correspond to the lower paths of the tree. "Subject beholding object" is of course a very necessary and crucial step in any invocation as well as the works relevant to the lower grades (including K&C of the HGA).

Zalthos wrote:It is becoming clear to me that as long as my experience is predicated upon "subject beholding object," there will always be work to do!

But that's very advanced work. One of the biggest mistakes aspirants make is in targetting the Abyss before they've attained adepthood. Even the Magus 9=2 embraces duality (it is the essence of the Magus' work). And long before even the Abyss is the Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Don't break your tools while you still need them.

Jim - In the four years off Thelemic work after my divorce , I became deeply interested in advaita - I met Mooji for example and it was a very disorientating and powerful experience. Anyway after practicing for about a year in 'subject object' 'can you find the limits of awareness' and 'neti neti' I had an experience where I was ', for lack of a better phrase 'conscious space' and everything including thoughts, feelings and personality were intensely amusing but ultimately not attributable to this space which contained all things.

This did however give little idea as to what to 'do' since all things had been done. All that was left to deepen this experience and let go of any latent tendencies. But the next morning the ego was back. Quite unwelcome and felt like it was going through the motions. In addition to my screw up of practice - my whole life became 'awaiting but not awaiting' because there was 'nobody who really was doing anything and by insisting there was you kept the ego' etc etc. Anyway I've never found any Will to be part of Malkuth society at all ,(I might be one of those non human incarnations or something) but after the experience I lost any power over Malkuth Unable to make the simplest decision aware of the conflict of the ego versus the will of the universe. Surrender was all that seemed left.

Is this the kind of thing you were thinking about when you said don't break your tools?

And what if someone's Will is to simply surrender to the all? The rise of Advaita , especially Ramana's lineage, is as you probably know , Immensely popular right now. There seems to be many people who simply Will or simply wish to surrender .